Autopsy: murdered hiker in NC may have tried to defend herself

BREVARD, N.C. (AP) — A woman killed while hiking in western North Carolina may have tried to defend herself from her attacker.

According to an autopsy, 84-year-old Irene Bryant died from multiple blows to her head but also suffered a broken left hand and forearm.

Bryant went missing after she and her husband, 80-year-old John Bryant, set out for a hike in October. John Bryant is still missing and presumed dead.

No suspects have been arrested, but Transylvania County Sheriff David Mahoney has said a man accused of killing a hiker in Georgia is linked to the Bryant case.

Authorities have charged 61-year-old Gary Michael Hilton in the murder of Meredith Emerson, who disappeared while hiking in the north Georgia mountains.

Like Emerson, Irene Bryant died from a blow to the head and her body was found near a hiking trail.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)